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All About “Spaghetti Squash”

Imagine a vegetable that looks like spaghetti. Well… prepare to be amazed – because that vegetable does exist and its called a “Spaghetti Squash” (or “Vegetable Spaghetti”) and it’s available in Australia.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH - The Basics

The Spaghetti Squash (Cucurbita pep var. fastigata) is also referred to as vegetable spaghetti, noodle squash, vegetable marrow, spaghetti marrow and squaghetti. It is a pale yellow (or off white) oblong sized squash. It grows on a vine which creeps along the ground (exactly like a zucchini, cucumber or pumpkin plant).

The spaghetti squash when ripe is hard like a watermelon – but it’s not as heavy. Cutting a spaghetti squash is similar to cutting an uncooked pumpkin. If you cut a raw spaghetti squash in half, you will see that it looks very similar to a pumpkin because in the centre is a core of large seeds (similar in size to pumpkin seeds) and the spaghetti squash flesh is hard – just like a pumpkin.

All the magic happens when you cook a spaghetti squash – because the flesh once cooked resembles spaghetti.

HOW TO COOK SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Just like a pumpkin – or potatoes, you can store your spaghetti squash in a cool, dry, dark location and it will store well for up to 4 weeks (provided of course, that it is uncut). When you are ready to cook it, you can use a microwave, oven or you can boil it.

Out of the three options, I prefer to use the oven. To cook the spaghetti squash in the oven, you need to cut the squash in half lengthways.

Spaghetti Squash

Place the spaghetti squash (seeds intact) face down on a baking tray covered in baking paper and place in a pre-heated moderate oven (175 degrees celsius) for about 40 minutes (or until the skin of the spaghetti squash is a little soft when prodded with the back of a spoon).

Remove the spaghetti squash from the oven and allow it to cool. When the spaghetti squash has cooled, pick it up in your hand and scoop out the seeds. Once you have removed the seeds, you will be able to scoop out the rest of the flesh which has somehow, miraculously whilst cooking, turned into spaghetti like strands.

The spaghetti squash can be eaten at this point as it has cooked whilst it was in the oven – or you may choose to add it to your favourite dish just as you would normal spaghetti.

TASTE & TEXTURE

The flesh of a cooked spaghetti squash looks like spaghetti. If you ask me to describe what it tastes like, I would have to say “Just like zucchini”. It has a bland taste which reminds me of cooked zucchini. This is fantastic as it means that the spaghetti squash can be treated just like pasta and will absorb the flavour of the dish or sauce you end up adding it to.

If you use your fingers to try to squish the spaghetti squash strands, you will be bitterly disappointed. It does not crumble or squish between your fingers. It holds its spaghetti like structure quite well. In fact, if you wish to use the spaghetti squash as a crust for a quiche – you can squeeze the spaghetti squash into a small ball to remove moisture and then pull the spaghetti squash back out in order to form the crust – no problems!

It has a bland flavour – so is easy to eat and versatile to use in cooking; and

It is Whole30 compliant and is fantastic for anyone on a weight loss journey.

The only negative thing I have to say is that it can be difficult to find in Australia.

HOW DO YOU EAT SPAGHETTI SQUASH?

Spaghetti squash once cooked has the appearance of spaghetti. The most common way to eat spaghetti squash is to serve it with your favourite pasta sauce (in other words substitute it for normal spaghetti or pasta). For example, a bolognese sauce or a sun-dried tomato, mushroom and bacon sauce.

You can try growing your own spaghetti squash. If you have no space in the garden, you could try growing the squash in a pot and let the vine drape over the pot and long your balcony (or ground). You can buy spaghetti squash seeds over the internet, alternatively look in the gardening section of Bunnings or your local nursery for Mr Fothergills Vegetable Spaghetti Squash seeds RRP $3.99 as at 24 May 2014 (see picture below).

BUYING SPAGHETTI SQUASH IN AUSTRALIA

The first place to look if you are interested in buying spaghetti squash is your local farmers market. This is because many smaller farmers (that sell their produce at farmers markets) grow spaghetti squash – particularly during the warmer months of the year.

If you are in Brisbane, I highly recommend you contact John & Debbie Berlin who are local growers located in Laidley. There is nothing better than supporting local growers and being able to buy fresh local produce and they are both lovely and passionate about spaghetti squash. They don’t use pesticides on their spaghetti squash crops – which is fantastic. You can read more about them and get their contact details in my Spaghetti Squash Road Trip post.

Otherwise, to my knowledge, the largest producer of Spaghetti Squash in Australia is Milano Brothers. They have a large commercial farm in Swan Hill, Victoria – and their spaghetti squash is transported and sold throughout Australia (including Western Australia and the Northern Territory).

Milano Brothers have dedicated agents in each state in Australia to ensure that spaghetti squash is delivered to any grocery store throughout Australia that is interesting in stocking them.

Milano Brothers have provided me with a list of the fruit and vegetable stores throughout Australia that they currently supply (or have previously supplied) vegetable squash. The list of stores is at the bottom of this post.

So if you live within Australia and are keen on cooking with Spaghetti Squash – try contacting your nearest fruit and vegetable store on their list. Alternatively, you can ask your local fruit and vegetable store to get in contact with the Milano Brothers agent in your state to place an order for spaghetti squash aka Vegetable Spaghetti (the numbers of the agents are also listed below). When speaking to your local store about spaghetti squash remember to refer to it as “Spaghetti Squash” and also by its alternative name “Vegetable Spaghetti” (as people are often familiar with one (but not both) of those names).

A common question is “How much can I expect to pay for a Spaghetti Squash?” From my research and personal experience, in Australia, you can expect to pay approximately $4 to $7 a kilo for spaghetti squash (which works out at $3 to $5 per squash).

Lastly, I would like to thank local growers, DJ & DM Berlin and Milano Brothers – because without their assistance I never would have been able to write this article.